With Halloween (Oct. 31) just one day away, bakeries, dessert shops, and other businesses in LA Koreatown are boosting their Halloween marketing, showcasing a variety of products including cakes and desserts.
Paris Baguette, for Halloween, is offering a chocolate chiffon cake shaped like a pumpkin jack-o’-lantern, a cookie and creamsicle cake decorated with spiders and ghosts, and donuts adorned with ghost faces and spiders.
The Halloween cakes and donuts are available at Paris Baguette Western (the first store in the U.S.) and Madang Mall stores. However, not all stores sell Halloween-related products, so the availability of cakes may vary from store to store. Halloween cakes are selling for around $50, and donuts are priced at $3.69 each. Some stores are also offering a free bread or pastry to Paris Baguette mobile app rewards customers when they order a Halloween cake.
“Our cake sales increase dramatically on Halloween, about tenfold, due to the influx of customers of different ethnicities,” said an owner of the Paris Baguette Western store. “Last year, we sold about 160 Halloween cakes, but this year we expect to sell up to 200 because of the positive consumer feedback.”
TOUS les JOURS offers a unique monster-designed cake with orange and green cream filling, as well as a ghost-decorated cake for $44. The owner mentioned that inventory is limited and may sell out early.
Concerto Bakery is also participating, selling Halloween cakes priced from $28 to $44, depending on the size, and witch and ghost decorated cupcakes for $5 each.
I Love Boba’s Vermont store is enticing customers with a special offer: a free drink for those who come in dressed in a Halloween costume by October 31 and post a photo of their purchase on Instagram. Other businesses such as Mochinut & Chungchun – Ktown and Fantastic Donut are also embracing the spirit, accepting group orders for their Halloween treats.
The rise in Halloween marketing among Korean American businesses is attributed to an increasing number of non-Korean customers visiting their establishments. The transformation of LA Koreatown into residential and entertainment hubs has led to a consistent increase in diverse clientele, making Halloween an opportune time for businesses to augment sales.
“Halloween is a popular holiday among young people, so we decorate our interior with Halloween themes and prepare related foods. Our Halloween sales are increasing every year,” noted a local business owner.
By HAEUN CHUNG, JUNHAN PARK [chung.haeun@koreadaily.com]
